Evidence of meeting #13 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fishery.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Some first nations are so remote that transportation via the harbours is the only way in, in the summer.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
So these are more than just a place to land fish; they are also a port of entry and a port of exit.
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
It's our port of entry and exit in the summer months, yes.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
How would you describe your relationship with DFO? Do you find DFO to be very responsive and helpful insofar as they can be?
10:40 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
I have to say I have a lot of respect for DFO.
There was a situation about seven years ago; they wanted to increase the drainage in Lake Manitoba. If it wasn't for DFO and the commercial fishermen's association interfering, the province would have gone ahead and increased velocities. DFO played a role at that time, and I appreciate that support at that time. They managed to put a stop to that practice--but I'm sure the province still has that in their mind; they are concerned with lake levels and increasing velocities through that system.
The Fairford Dam has always been an issue. We've talked to DFO about allowing the migration of fish through that structure. Hopefully we'll have a proposal in DFO's hands and we'll get funding to continue the process of allowing those fish to migrate. Obstruction of migration is also a DFO issue; they'll deal with that.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Getting back to the harbours, how many of the harbours in Manitoba would you say need significant funding or significant investment?
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
I'd say half of them would need some significant investment. The other ones.... Some of the damage was caused during flooding. In our first nations communities we don't have the Cadillac versions that we have in Gimli Harbour. A few planks and poles and gravel--that's all it needs for upkeep and maintenance. It's not a big budget, but there is some need there for continued maintenance of the structures. There is a need.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
All right.
I'll move on to some of the other stuff you've identified.
Obviously you're concerned about the rainfall and the runoff. Of course, Agriculture Canada has programs: in Alberta, for example, we have the environmental farm plans; in Manitoba there is the Canada-Manitoba environmental farm plan program, and there is also the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.
Has your organization made representation to those organizations yet?
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
I've never heard of them.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
I would certainly encourage you to talk to them, because I think the whole goal of these organizations is to do the right thing. Certainly when it comes to agricultural drainage, we want to make the cropland viable as well. You can understand where the farmer is coming from on that particular perspective.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
I certainly would encourage you to at least examine the option of letting those organizations know.
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
What are they called?
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
There's the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation. There's also the Canada-Manitoba environmental farm plan program. I'm not going to presume anything, but you might want to have your organization at least find out what those organizations are doing in terms of some of the concerns you have with drainage.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
We'll move on to another issue. I know we're still dealing with small craft harbours, but you brought it up; it's the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation under the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act. I've heard some concerns from freshwater fishers about marketing. I know there are some concerns about mullet and certain species that certain fishers want to have outside the purview of the board or the single desk.
Does your organization have a particular stand on any of the species or on any of the ways that the marketing board is currently...?
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
We have a lot of issues with the marketing operation. We all know the pickerel is the fish with the highest value, and that's the priority of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. They want the pickerel in the volumes that it can come in.
Those times also impede the other species that are of low value and not a high priority to them, so they are not harvested and processed because of that.
There's a need for dual marketing in those species. At those times when the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation would not give those fish priority, well, give somebody else the opportunity to process and market that fish. Mullet is one of them, along with carp and yellow perch.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Are you saying you want to leave the pickerel inside the purview of the board?
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Oh, yes. The pickerel is fine.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Take out the other species of lower value or lower priority?
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
Yes, I think there's a need for dual marketing of those other species.
10:45 a.m.
Interim Chair, Manitoba Commercial Inland Fishers Federation
It adds value and it also creates jobs in our communities. If we bring the processing back into our community, that creates a few jobs. It doesn't make sense to be a big, centralized processing plant in the big city of Winnipeg, when there could be other opportunities for processing in small communities, where fish could be dropped off from a large region. You can't have a fish processing plant in every community, but in a region I think there is a need for them.